Classics of Ancient Chinese: 100 Classic Sentences

Author: Wenxin Studio
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The Birth of Famous Quotes
Here are towering mountains and rugged hills, dense forests and tall bamboos; there are also clear, swift streams flowing and reflecting on both sides, leading them into a winding stream for floating cups, with people sitting in a row beside it. Though there is no grand music and string instruments, a cup of wine and a verse are enough to express the deep emotions. — Wang Xizhi, "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" (Eastern Jin Dynasty)
Completely Understanding the Famous Quotes
1. (mào): Dense.
2. (xiū): Tall, long.
3. (tuān): Refers to water with strong current.
4. (yìng dài): Reflecting and winding around.
5. (shāng): Ancient drinking vessel.
6. (liè zuò): Sitting in a row.
7. (qí cì): Beside (the winding stream).
8. (yǒng): Reciting poetry.
Here are high and steep mountains and hills, dense forests and tall bamboos, as well as clear, swift streams that reflect and wind around the pavilions. The water is led into a circular stream in the pavilion, where cups float for people to take. People sit in a row beside the winding stream. Though there is no grand performance of music and string instruments, drinking wine while reciting poetry is enough to express their deep and secluded emotions.
Background Knowledge of the Article
Wang Xizhi (321–379, or 303–361 AD), styled Yishao, was also known as Danzhai. Originally from Langya Linyi (now part of Shandong Province), he later moved to Shanyin (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province) and held the position of Right Military General and Inspector of Kuaiji. He was renowned for his excellent calligraphy and is considered one of China's greatest calligraphers, revered as the "Sage of Calligraphy."
Wang Xizhi came from a family of calligraphers. His father, uncles, and cousins were all famous calligraphers of his time, and his best works include the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection." The creation of the "Preface" was inspired by a custom from ancient times that continued into the Eastern Jin Dynasty. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, on the third day of the third lunar month, people were required to visit riversides to ward off bad luck—a practice called "Xiuwei."
Living in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi naturally followed this custom. On the third day of the third lunar month of the ninth year of the Yonghe era, he gathered with famous scholars such as Xie An, Sun Chuo, and the young scions of the Xie and Wang families, totaling forty-one people, for a gathering at the Orchid Pavilion. They drank wine, recited poetry, and expressed their hearts freely. Afterward, these impromptu poems were compiled into the "Orchid Pavilion Collection," and Wang Xizhi wrote the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" to express his sentiments. This is the "Preface" that has been celebrated through the ages.
This preface not only records the beauty of the landscape around the Orchid Pavilion, the grandeur and joy of the gathering but also expresses Wang Xizhi's reflections on the fleeting nature of beauty and the impermanence of life. Although the preface contains parallel sentences, it does not feel rigid or stiff at all.
The "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" is, by name, a preface. A "preface" is also called a "foreword," a practical literary genre similar to an "epilogue," but it is placed at the beginning of a book and called a "preface," while an "epilogue" is attached at the end. The main purpose of a preface is to recommend and introduce someone's work or certain material, explain the writing process, writing purpose, main content, or provide information related to the book to help readers better understand or read it. However, in terms of content and form, the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" is not just a typical book preface. It can be said to be a beautiful prose in the history of Chinese literature, with profound meaning and fresh, natural writing.
The Story Behind the Famous Quotes
In the past, Wang Xizhi and his friends gathered at the Orchid Pavilion, and there were forty-two famous scholars...